Month: April 2017

The Rudy Project Tralyx sunglasses stand out. They aren’t as familiar as Oakleys or other well-known eyewear brands, but they sacrifice little when it comes to performance. However, at $250, the price is a little steep for their unique look.

The Tralyx’s aesthetics hinge on the swooping, curved frame, which in the case of our test pair was a gaudy hue of gold, to match the Bahrain-Merida team’s kit. Fortunately, Rudy offers 12 color options for the frame.

The frame temples have ample cut-outs but felt solid, not flimsy. With soft, rubber tips, the shades fit comfortably, and if your head is particularly small, you can bend the Tralyx’s rubber for a more snug fit.

We tested the RP Optics Multilaser Orange lens, which had a mirrored finish that worked well on bright Colorado days. Perhaps this hue will be a bit dark if you’re riding in and out of shadowy forests, such as the hills around Santa Cruz or a New England trail. We also appreciated the lens’s gradient tint, making the top a bit darker than the bottom — it was easier to glance down at a GPS head unit.

The Tralyx seems more inclined toward ventilation than full coverage, between the open, rimless bottom of the lens and the vent holes throughout. We appreciated the air flow on slow, sweaty climbs. At speed, the design didn’t present any problems for our contact lens-wearing eyes, but if your eyes are extra-sensitive to wind, the Tralyx might not protect as much as other options, such as an Oakley Jawbreaker. You could also consider the Tralyx’s XL lens size for more coverage. (We tested the smaller SX lens.) It is relatively easy to swap lenses, and Rudy Project offers an array of tints.

With optical quality on par with nearly all other major offering, Rudy Project’s Tralyx is a fine sunglasses option if you’re looking for a unique aesthetic, however the price might give you pause. Oakley’s Radar, for example, has a similar design and sells for $190. Smith’s PivLock Arena comes in at $189 with a spare lens included.

If you’re not turned off by the price, the Tralyx is a high-performance piece of eyewear with a fresh look — even if you opt for something more subdued than the gold frame.
Read more at http://www.velonews.com/apparel-review/2017/04/review-rudy-project-tralyx-sunglasses_436681#CLlRTAvljp6Tt2sR.99

In 2014, Oakley introduced the Flight Deck goggle with PRIZM lens technology. I absolutely loved it and wrote rave reviews. Three years later, in 2017, I continue to turn to this goggle time, and time and time again.

The Flight Deck goggle draws inspiration from the helmet visors worn by fighter pilots; the end goal for Oakley was to offer the widest field of view while remaining fully helmet compatible. I’d say they hit the nail on the head.

The large frame size and clean, rimless design yield a field of view that’s unrivaled—in my humble and correct opinion. Having sported the Flight Deck with helmets from upwards of one dozen brain-bucket-manufacturers, I can say quite confidently that you’d be hard-pressed to find a lid that doesn’t fit seamlessly with this goggle.

The additional bonuses are plentiful. I love the catchy, spaceman-esque look. This goggle turns heads everywhere I roam. And despite the oversized look, it fits very well on small and medium faces. I often recommend the Flight Deck to folks who wear prescription glasses; the frame and its foam fit well over most any pair of glasses and the lens sits far enough away from the face that you shouldn’t experience any “inappropriate grinding” between the glasses and the lens. Furthermore, discreet frame notches at the temple are designed specifically to provide compatibility with most RX eyewear frames.

Not to be overlooked, the face foam is mighty plush, providing for long, comfortable days on the hill. Said foam is also highly adept in the moisture-wicking department. I have not experienced any fogging with these goggles, except for rare cases where my mouth and nose are covered by a facemask and my heart-rate goes through the roof.

In more technical terms, PRIZM boosts contrast by emphasizing certain wavelengths along the color spectrum. We like to compare this technology to an equalizer on a stereo; in the same way that one might crank the bass while enjoying a hip-hop track, PRIZM breaks light into individual colors and boosts certain ones while filtering out others. You as a PRIZM user thereby observe an enhancement in the contours, details and definition of snow environments. This allows you to see clearer, react quicker and ride with more confidence.

Many goggle manufacturers out there produce their own proprietary lens tech. Spy’s Happy Lens, Dragon’s Lumens and Smith’s ChromaPop are just a few examples. These variations are all fantastic in their own right and are worth exploring. I’ve tried much of what’s out there and Oakley’s PRIZM remains my go-to.

Regarding the various PRIZM tints, I’ve tested Sapphire Iridium (blue, above), Torch Iridium (red, below), Rose and HI Pink (pink, below). Both Sapphire Iridium and Torch Iridium (11 – 20% VLT) work wonderfully in both sunny and cloudy conditions. I can’t stress this enough: You can sport this lens on the brightest of days and also on a crumby, super-gray day. When light is ultra-flat, Rose PRIZM (21% + VLT) has you covered, while providing plenty of versatility. HI Pink (around 25% VLT) can be turned to when you encounter the nastiest of fog.

Candidly, the Flight Deck’s gasket-like Ridgelock lens-change system is not the most user-friendly. But, when you’re sporting the likes of the Sapphire or Torch Iridium PRIZM lenses (I recommend these above all others), you simply won’t need to swap lenses—hardly ever. Any reservations about the versatility of these lenses should be discarded.

All told, the peripheral vision coupled with the boost in contrast and color will open up your world and inspire confidence while skiing. What more could you ask for from a goggle?

Smoothies is THE spring run at Squaw Valley. We asked Squaw Valley Ski Patroller Ben Leech to give us the scoop on the elusive Smoothies run and how to find it:
Why Smoothies is awesome
Smoothies is a favorite springtime run. It’s almost a novelty because it only stays open for an hour or two in the morning. It just makes people want it that much more. It’s called “Smoothies” because in order for it to be open, and be in its prime, it has to be perfect California corn snow. It stays “smooth” because ski patrol closes it when the temperature gets too warm and the snow starts to get ruts in it. This is how Smoothies stays smooth.
How to access Smoothies
To access Smoothies, ride to the top of Granite Chief chair. From the top of the chair you’ll want to traverse as high as possible in Hidden Bowl, below Granite Peak. Usually there will be a traverse line to follow. The Smoothies gate is all the way at the far north boundary. There is an OPEN/CLOSED sign at the gate as well as at the top of the Granite Lift to let people know before they make the long traverse. Once you pass through Smoothies gate, there are several different open faces to ski that lead back down to the Silverado lift. This terrain has a backcountry feel to it so we always recommend skiing with someone who has skied the Smoothie before. Happy corn skiing!
#SpringSkiingCaptial
When you make it out to Smoothies, be sure to take in the unique views! Share your best spring moments on Twitter and Instagram with #springskiingcapital for a chance to win Oakley goggles, sunglasses, a GoPro and 2017-18 Gold Season Pass. Contest details >>
General

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I have been waiting ALL winter to pull this jacket out and start wearing it again. That’s not even an exaggeration. I haven’t been able to wear it since November (this outfit to be exact, it’s so handy having a blog to reference back on sometimes), but then the weather took a turn for the worse and I had to switch it out for some heavier coats. But the weather finally turned decent so I didn’t wait a minute more to start wearing this jacket.

I took Oakley (my dog- read his blog here… yes, he does have his own blog) down to campus for a walk since the weather was so nice. There’s just something about campus in the spring (and the fall and the summer.. just not the winter). The birds are chirping. The sun is shining. There’s wild geese running around (not even joking about that). It almost makes school bearable. Almost.

So, for the rest of my outfit, under this awesome suede moto jacket, I wore one of my favorite tops from Boohoo. I got this blouse last spring and I’ve been wearing it non-stop. It goes with such a wide variety of things (like just jeans here or a more dressy outfit here). It also looks really great with a skirt, especially this J.Crew pleated leather skirt I have. Maybe that will be an outfit on ze blog sometime! Look forward to that!

To complete the outfit, I’m wearing my coated denim pants that I really never seem to take off and my Sam Edelman black booties that are slowly, but surely getting more comfortable. And because it’s spring and sunny, a pair of sunglasses are always necessary. How many times have I mentioned that it’s spring in this post? Well, in case you weren’t aware, it’s spring. Surprise!